Hana Kimura, Pro Wrestler & ‘Terrace House’ Star, Dead At 22

According to TMZ, who broke the news, the athlete, also known as a star of Netflix’s reality show Terrace House, passed away on Friday (May 22).

Stardom Wrestling confirmed the devastating news of Kimura’s passing in the following statement: "We are very sorry to report that our Hana Kimura has passed away. Please be respectful and allow some time for things to process, and keep your thoughts and prayers with her family and friends. We appreciate your support during this difficult time."

A cause of death has not yet been revealed. Eerily, however, Kimura’s last known Instagram post, shared before her death, featured a picture of her with her cat, along with the caption, “goodbye.”

According to multiple media outlets, it’s been said by Kimura’s fans that the young entertainer was subjected to intense cyberbullying which could have taken a toll on her before she passed. As Variety pointed out, Kimura had shared a number of concerning tweets, one such message to fans, when translated, read that she didn’t “want to be human anymore.”

“I hope this serves as a reminder that interactions on social media can have a serious effect on the mental health of anyone, no matter who they are. Be kind. RIP,” tweeted managing director of wrestling website Cultaholic Adam Pacitti, calling her death “an absolute tragedy.”

Hana, born to pro-wrestler mother Kyoko Kimura, made her debut at Wrestle-1 in 2016, and went on to win her first title, the JWP Junior Championship, later that year. She left Wrestle-1 to join Stardom in 2019, becoming the leader of the fan-favorite Tokyo Cyber Squad. Apart from her wrestling career, Hana had been a popular cast member on Terrace House, a series in which six young people are made to live and interact with each other in the same house while being scrutinized and judged by studio commentators and fans.